Canadian forward Chris Kelly battles for the puck against Mountfield at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, on Dec. 26, 2017.Melanie Duchene / Keystone via AP

For reasons beyond money and emotional vanity, Kelly couldn’t have found a more opportune time to have his NHL days come to an end

GANGNEUNG — For reasons beyond money and the emotional vanity associated with playing in the world’s best pro hockey league, Chris Kelly couldn’t have found a more opportune time to have his NHL days come to an end.

On Thursday, the veteran pro and onetime Stanley Cup champion was named captain for Canada’s throwback entry into the men’s Olympic hockey tournament. And the Toronto native and former Ottawa Senator couldn’t have been more thrilled both with the letter and the Olympic thrill which awaits.

“We’re like little kids right now,” said the 37-year-old Kelly, whose career spanned 833 NHL games and included a Stanley Cup victory with the Boston Bruins. “We’re excited and it will be exciting to get out and play.”

It’s been somewhat of a whirlwind week for the men’s squad, which recorded a pair of shutout wins over Latvia and Belarus in Riga. They landed here at Olympic central on Thursday afternoon and will have their first twirl on the Olympic ice on Friday morning.

After that, the team put together by general manager Sean Burke and coach Willie Desjardins will march in the opening ceremony before dispatching to Incheon, South Korea, for one final exhibition game against Sweden on the weekend.

Kelly, meanwhile, will be looked at to provide leadership for a group that is essentially learning about itself on the fly. And that captaincy means the world to the 14-year NHL veteran.

“It’s such a great honour and very humbling,” Kelly said. “There are so many great people in that locker room who could ultimately be wearing (the captain’s ‘C’). It’s a thrill.”

In this April 21, 2017 file photo, Chris Kelly skates for the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL playoffs.Jean Levac /
Postmedia Network

Given the team isn’t blessed with the offensive prowess of NHL superstars such as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, Kelly knows what it will take for this version of the two-time defending gold-medal winners to contend.

And given how weary they must have become about hearing gripes about the lack of big-leaguers in the tournament, they are determined to make their own mark.

“Like most Canadians, we will be hard-working and intense,” Kelly said. “We will check first and I think we will play an up-tempo style.”

SHUT-DOWN MATERIAL?

Further to Kelly’s prognosis, the Canadians know they will need to be strong defensively and get superb goaltending to remain in games.

With that in mind, there had to be be a confidence boost from a pair of 2-0 wins over Latvia and Belarus in Riga.

Ben Scrivens was in net for the first shutout, while Kevin Poulin turned aside 29 shots to blank Belarus in the most recent game.

“(Poulin) mades some big saves at the right time and played an extremely solid game,” said Martin Brodeur, part of Burke’s management group. “We’re looking to improve every game. That’s part of the process and why we’re here to play those games before it really counts.”

Getting ready hasn’t been a simple task for Team Canada management. With players travelling to Latvia from various pro leagues in Europe, the Canadian staff only had access to those coming from Russia’s KHL for the past couple days. Some may enter the tournament with just one exhibition game and a handful of practices.

“A lot of guys don’t know each other, so it’s good to play a few games together, improve our systems and get on the same page,” said Canadian forward Maxim Lapierre. “The goal is to improve with every period and every game.”

The Canadian men open their tournament next Thursday against Switzerland.

Sarah Murray (left) coaches the unified Korean team in a practice game against Sweden on Feb. 4.Kim Hong-Ji /
AFP / Getty Images

CALLING THE COACH

Tasked with the assignment of coaching the joint North Korea-South Korea entry in the women’s tournament, Sarah Murray has plenty of mentors to tap into.

The Canadian has spent plenty of time around the Hockey Canada women’s program, which has been a great resource. And then there’s the possibility of calling dad Andy, a former coach of the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues.

“I talk to him a lot for advice on different things,” the 29-year-old Murray said of her father, a member of the IIHF hall of fame who has coached Canada at the world championships.. “Coming into this tournament, I don’t have any experience at an event as big as this, so I ask him about drills.”

Canadian women’s coach Laura Schuler is well aware of Murray’s hockey pedigree and figures she’s a nice fit for the Korean entry here.

“She understands the game really, really well,” Schuler said. “She was a very good player, a cerebral player and a very smooth skater.”

WHILE WE’RE YOUNG

The men’s tourney may be without NHLers, but one of the stars of the show should be a player headed there soon.

Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin is the youngest player in the event at age 17, but is considered the surefire choice to go first overall in June’s NHL entry draft.

Also on Team Sweden — though carrying considerably less profile — is forward Viktor Stalberg, who won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks and played a season with the Toronto Maple Leafs among other NHL teams.

ROSTER FILLERS

According to the IOC, since the NHL began allowing players to participate in the Olympics in 1998, the percentage of competitors from the world’s best pro league is as follows: 36 per cent (1998), 45 per cent (2002), 54 per cent (2006), 51 per cent (2010) and 49 per cent (2014).

In the absence of NHLers, the KHL takes over as the biggest source of players. Of the 300 expected to be on opening rosters, 93 come from the KHL.

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